Health authorities say reusable packaging poses no more risk of spreading coronavirus than single-use packaging, but the plastics industry is still trying to use COVID-19 to derail progress on reducing single-use plastics.
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Health authorities say reusable packaging poses no more risk of spreading coronavirus than single-use packaging, but the plastics industry is still trying to use COVID-19 to derail progress on reducing single-use plastics.
Continue Reading
Recently, a Senate committee spent two hours hearing about the challenges facing U.S. recycling. | Alexandru Smut Calin/Shutterstock
Across the U.S., recycling conversations among elected officials are gaining momentum, suggesting 2020 could still be marked by laws related to materials recovery.
A research project in Ontario compared single-family and multi-family streams in medium-sized urban cities with single-family streams in rural programs. | Diana Parkhouse/Shutterstock
Officials in one area of Ontario dove deep into recycling stream composition data, producing results that informed a municipality’s new recycling contract. Continue Reading
The TotalRecycle MRF saw a 70% contamination reduction in its mixed paper and old newsprint bales from installing the flexible packaging sortation equipment. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling, Inc.
A multi-stakeholder project was able to hit some goals separating flexible plastic packaging from other recyclables at a MRF. But backers also reported significant hurdles moving material downstream cost-effectively.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on June 17 announced penalties for alleged waste and pollution violations. | JPL Designs/Shutterstock
Oregon regulators levied environmental fines against 20 companies, including a $611,000 penalty against a C&D debris recycling company.
The newly introduced Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling Act directs various federal agencies and offices to take steps to support plastics recycling. | Corlia vWyk/Shutterstock
Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have put forth legislation focused on reducing plastic waste and bolstering plastics recycling.
The Des Moines, Iowa Metro Waste Authority recently approved a loan agreement to finance construction of a new MRF, which officials say could cost about $24 million. | cnetten/Shutterstock
Plans to build a new publicly funded MRF in the Des Moines, Iowa area have drawn criticism from the region’s current recycling contractor.
After climbing for four straight months, the price of OCC has fallen sharply this month. But the average value of mixed paper remains in double-digit positive numbers. Continue Reading
For the latest report, 18 MRFs from 11 states provided the Northeast Recycling Council with their bale pricing and processing cost data. | Shu Ba/Shutterstock
The blended value of recyclables in the Northeast region increased during the first quarter of 2020, but MRF processing costs rose even faster, according to a survey.
A number of recycling industry groups have spoken out against racism in recent weeks. | Pix_Arena/Shutterstock
Recycling organizations, environmental advocacy groups and municipal programs are joining the call to oppose racism and work for systemic change.